As the world is coming to terms with the severity of COVID-19 pandemic, the world of shipping has never ceased operating. Wilhelmsen Ship Management shares the proactive measures done to ensure uninterrupted operability of our fleet

In Wilhelmsen Ship Management, the safety, security and well-being of our crew & employees is of the utmost importance so that we deliver uninterrupted operability of our managed vessel.

In light of the continually evolving COVID-19 situation, we did some operational adjustments to ensure the well-being of our employees and crew as we strive to deliver an uninterrupted service.

Crew screening prior to pre-joining
We have added additional measures on our pre-joining procedures to detect and prevent any infected crew from joining onboard vessels. Health screening and travel declaration measures has been imposed to all crew prior to joining.

Prevention
We have issued guidelines on practical protection against infection. Though measures have been put in place to prevent an infected crew onboard, these guidelines will serve as precautionary measures. Crew are encouraged to practice good personal hygiene habits, usage of personal protective equipment, maintain environmental hygiene and proper food preparation.

Handling of COVID-19 onboard
If there is any confirmed or suspected cases onboard, contingency plans will be activated and defined steps shall be taken until further instructions from authorities of the next port of call. We have also initiated communication and onboard drills for handling of COVID-19 onboard.

Calling in affected port
When calling in affected port, crew must take precautionary measures to protect themselves. Crew are familiarized with the safety guidelines focusing on safety measures to be taken prior to calling, during stay and after departure.

Communication
We have heightened our communication frequency with our vessels through port updates and safety bulletins. It is essential to keep the crew updated on the latest progress of the outbreak situation and measures for protection.

Crew change and shore leave
We note that some countries/cities are implementing lockdown to contain the viral spread. This has had a major impact on future crew changes. We have differed crew change and shore leave for the time being. We are proactively evaluating the situation to ensure that our crew can be relieved as soon as possible.

Crew motivation
We understand this is an extremely difficult period for the crew to be away from home and family. We are looking into several initiatives to enable crew to increase their interaction time with their family. 

Contact tracing
Once crew change is possible, we will enforce additional measures to allow contact tracing as recommended by WHO. During crew sign off, measures will be implemented to enable contact tracing should this be necessary.

Disruption in supply chain
The main challenges faced are limited availability of air cargo, service engineers, delivery and logistics options. This could mean longer delivery time for ships to receive their spares and stores. We have increased our vigilance to ensure ships will not be exposed to the risk of spares and stores shortages. 

Social distancing of shore employees
Some of us are operating from home as required by local government recommendations. The affected offices will be operating under their business continuity plan to ensure continuity of services. This arrangement will continue until further notice.

Stepping up cyber security
Working from home as securely as possible during the pandemic is high on our agenda. We have stepped up our cyber security initiatives and communicated the guidelines to all employees. Employees are reminded to stay vigiliant as we expect an increase in fraud attempts.

Response to impact
We have yet to see the full scale of the impact. But we expect the impact of this pandemic to be felt throughout the industry, although differently for different stakeholders. We are proactively doing scenario planning and adjustments in our systems and processes to accomodate the anticipated changes.

As we work closely with global and national authorities to ensure our service delivery to you remains uninterrupted, we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of our efforts.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Xinde Marine News.